AWARDS
Deb Dietrich Perseverance Award
The Deb Dietrich Perseverance Award, named after OAR's former Executive Director, recognizes an OAR client who has demonstrated exceptional perseverance—also known as grit, determination, dedication, and tenacity—in overcoming barriers and obstacles to achieve personal goals and contribute positively to the community.
The recipient has faced significant life challenges and has continued to rise above them with courage, resilience, and unwavering commitment to their dreams. Through sustained effort and determination, the individual exemplifies the spirit of perseverance and personal growth.
Nominees are identified by OAR staff. From this pool of candidates, staff members advocate for and vote on the recipient based on demonstrated merit, achievement, and impact.
2025 Award Winner
This year's winner is Tristan Parker, a candidate who has overcome so much! From substance abuse, homelessness, and incarceration, Tristan has now been sober for 3 years, is employed full time, and living in OAR's Peer Crossing program. He is working on completing his continued education to become a nurse.
Tristan was presented with the award this on Dec 22nd, 2025, with a small ceremony. He received a plaque, a $100 gift certificate and will have his name added to the list of previous winners.
Thank you to our local paper, Tompkins Weekly, for helping us celebrate Tristan and his hard work!
Award Winners
Tristan Parker
Dani Back
OAR Poet Laureate
Dani was born and raised in south Boston. Moved to Ithaca for a better life, fell off the good path after 14 years of sobriety and found herself living in the jungle for about a year.... met Des (OAR Outreach) and learned of OAR and decided on rehab, 9/27/2024...120 days later, she was housed at Second Wind's Dryden House.
"Life is good today, and it's just going to get better."
THE JUNGLE
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They are the people your parents warned you about. The worst of the worst. Liars, cheaters, thieves. The whole lot of them. Drug addicts of every kind. IV drug users. Needles everywhere. the orange caps strewn across the ground. The iced-out individuals, tweakers. Taking everything electronic apart. Pieces of things scattered all around. Hearing noises that aren't really there. Seeing things that don't really exist. The twitches. The endless talking that comes with the high. The stories they create that leave you wondering where the truth ends and the lies begin. The fiending, selling anything you can find for a shot. Stealing things that will be worth trading for drugs. Battery packs, so the electronics can charge in this place of no power. Flashlights, to eluminate the path in this dark place. Tent City. A place made of pallets and tarps. Campfires fueled by anything that will burn. The smell of burning plastic and human failure. This is where you go when you've lost all belief. When your faith has been depleted. When your river of hope has run dry. They embrace you like family and stab you in the back every chance they get. They'll hold you down while someone beats on you. Then help you up, dust you off, and get you high. The true definition of frenemies. People never cease to amaze you in these parts. Showing you evils that could only exit in hell. Demons disguised as men. Devils claiming to be your brother. Smiling in your face while they rob you for everything. Starting with the physical items you possess. Not stopping there. They continue to take from you. Your hopes, your dreams, all of your morals and values. It never ends.
They don't quit until you're an empty shell of a human. Until you're down and out and stoop to their level. Then they win. When you allow them to strip you of all things good. All traces of humanity now just a memory. This is the future of those who show up here. Almost no one succeeds at leaving. Only a few lucky ones actually get out. Once you're here, you're stuck. Drawn back in at every turn. It consumes you. Eats at you, calls to you in the night. It will swallow you whole if you aren't strong enough. Welcome to the jungle. Come join our fun and games. out to County Probation. We have similar goals, different ways in achieving them, and work with many of the same clients. A simple game that helped humanize one another.